Switching allegiances //Can you stay a fan of a team even if they are changing faces?

Over the last couple of days, there have been mumblings of more bad news on the way for teams. The possibility exists that BMW may not have chosen wisely with Qadbak, whilst Joe is ringing the alarm bells for Renault. I haven't been paying too much attention to these rumours, as I prefer the facts to the speculation, but I received an email from a listener that sparked my interest.

Andrew Lane wrote to me and said:

Just read Joe’s blog about Carlos Ghosn and his comments for the future of Renault F1 and having supported Renault since the early 90’s, I am very sad.

If the team is sold I think I will have a subsequent soft spot for the new team but long term I am not so sure that will be enough. Brawn would have been the obvious choice to switch but now it is wholly Mercedes Benz some of the attraction is diminished. All the new teams, Lotus, Manor, USF1 and Campos will hold that ever strong need to support the underdog but if they all make a big hash of it it’s not going to be very rewarding. Alonso has obviously been my favourite driver of late so do I follow him to Ferrari?

Just wanted to get these thoughts in the open as they have been with me since all the uncertainty since Crashgate!

It was a difficult off-season last year, as we lived through the Honda story alongside their most ardent fans. The highs and lows, hopes and fears were quite the rollercoaster, and even though I had no particular allegiance to Honda, I was right there with those that did.

This year looks to be no different. The BMW story is ongoing, with Mario Theissen admitting he has no idea what their future holds. Toyota don't appear to want to save their team, but it was a rocky few moments for Glock fans, and Trulli fans must still be holding their breath. If Renault put us through the same thing, will there be any fans left?

It must be great to be a Ferrari fan. No wonder the Tifosi are so passionate, they have had years of practice! Meanwhile Force India fans have had to live through many iterations of the same team. Can that so-called "DNA" really be strong enough to keep your support? I'm curious if you have followed a manufacturer team, or one that has been on the market quite a lot - are you still sticking by them? Or have you been burned and never want to follow another team again? Would it be easier to follow drivers instead?